dbt-Workbench: Open Source dbt UI

dbt-Workbench is an open source, self-hosted UI for dbt lineage visualization, run orchestration, catalog and docs workflows, SQL exploration, and workspace management. It is designed for local, on-prem, and air-gapped deployments where teams need full control.

Documentation: https://rezer-bleede.github.io/dbt-Workbench/

If dbt-Workbench helps your team, please star the repository.

Product Preview

Try It in About a Minute

Prerequisites:

• Docker
• Docker Compose

docker compose up --build

Open:

• UI: http://localhost:3000
• API: http://localhost:8000
• API Docs: http://localhost:8000/docs

The repository includes a ready-to-run demo dbt project in ./dbt_project so you can run models, inspect lineage, and explore catalog metadata immediately.

dbt Cloud vs dbt-Workbench (At a Glance)

Area	dbt-Workbench	dbt Cloud
Operating model	Self-hosted (local, on-prem, air-gapped)	Managed cloud service
License model	MIT open source	Commercial SaaS
Data and infra control	Stays in your environment	Managed by vendor environment
Lineage and docs	Model and column lineage + docs viewer	Available
Run orchestration	Built-in run controls and history	Available
Scheduling	Cron scheduler with notifications	Available
SQL workspace	Built-in SQL editor and execution controls	Available
Auth and RBAC	Optional JWT auth + Viewer/Developer/Admin roles	Available
Extensibility	Open plugin system with source access	Vendor extension model

Detailed comparison: dbt Cloud vs dbt-Workbench

Who Uses dbt-Workbench?

Are you running dbt-Workbench in your team? Open an issue with "Adopter" in the title and we can add you here.

Why Teams Choose dbt-Workbench

• Full control of deployment and data boundaries
• No per-seat or per-run pricing model
• Interactive model and column-level lineage
• Built-in run orchestration with logs and history
• Catalog workflows with search, metadata, and validation
• Workspace-aware Git integration for dbt project workflows
• Optional authentication and role-based access control
• Plugin system and AI copilot support

Core Feature Areas

• Lineage: Deterministic DAG layout, grouping, expand/collapse, upstream/downstream impact analysis
• Execution: Run dbt commands from the UI with real-time logs and artifact capture
• Scheduler: Cron-style runs, environment-specific configs, retries, notifications
• Catalog: Search across dbt entities with enriched metadata and validation reports
• SQL Workspace: Custom SQL and compiled dbt SQL execution with query history
• Workspaces and RBAC: Optional JWT auth, roles, workspace isolation, and switching
• Plugins and AI: Hot-reloadable plugin system and workspace-aware AI copilot flows

Project Structure

dbt-Workbench/
|- backend/                # FastAPI API and execution services
|- frontend/               # React + TypeScript + Vite UI
|- website/                # Docusaurus documentation source
|- dbt_project/            # Demo dbt project for local quickstart
|- sample_artifacts/       # Sample dbt artifacts
|- docker-compose.yml      # Local full stack setup
|- ARCHITECTURE.md         # Architecture and system design
|- ROADMAP.md              # Completed and planned milestones
`- CONTRIBUTING.md         # Contribution guidelines

Documentation

• Quickstart: Quickstart with Docker Compose
• Lineage: Lineage Overview
• Run orchestration: Run Orchestration
• Scheduler: Scheduler
• SQL workspace: SQL Workspace
• Authentication: Auth and RBAC
• Air-gapped and on-prem: Deployment Guide
• Plugin system: Plugin System
• Architecture: ARCHITECTURE.md
• Roadmap: ROADMAP.md

API and Configuration

Use these references for full endpoint and environment variable details:

• API reference: http://localhost:8000/docs when running locally
• Architecture and deployment guidance: Documentation site
• Runtime settings reference: backend/app/core/config.py

Local Development

Backend:

cd backend
python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
uvicorn app.main:app --reload --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8000

Frontend:

cd frontend
npm install
npm run dev -- --host --port 3000

Docs site:

cd website
npm install
npm run start

Testing

Backend:

cd backend
pytest

Frontend:

cd frontend
npm test
npm run test:e2e

Docs site:

cd website
npm test

Contributing

Contributions are welcome. See CONTRIBUTING.md for workflow, style, and PR expectations.

Security

Please review SECURITY.md for responsible vulnerability reporting.

License

MIT License. See LICENSE.

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